Beauty & lifestyle

I know it has been ages since I last posted on my blog (2 -3 weeks I guess) and that was because I was having an awesome time in Turkey with le husband! It was a much deserved break for both of us after a lot of ups and downs during the first half of this year.

Turkey is such an amazing country and in the 8 days we were there I guess we saw and experienced maybe 10% of what it has to offer. We loved the food, people and culture so much I can see us visiting the country again real soon! We spend our time in Istanbul, Cappadocia, Pamukkale and Ephesus.

Lets talk about Istanbul! It is one of the most vibrant cities I have ever visited! It is a charming city with the modern world existing with the remnants of a glorious past. It is huge and I loved every bit of the the small part of it that I was exposed to. We stayed in the European side where your surrounded by history wherever you go. Both of us are history and museum junkies and therefore we loved exploring the Blue mosque, the Ottoman Topkapi palace, the Hagia Sofia, the Basilica Cistern, the Chora church and the museums around these historic sites.

The Blue Mosque

We also explored the modern parts of the city and had a ball of a time at Taskim Square where you have a huge shopping street and lots of small eateries tucked away in small side lanes! In Istanbul we also went to a Hamami for a traditional turkish bath and that was quite an experience 😀 If your planning to go to Turkey do try it out!

Cappadocia was our second stop in Turkey. The place is known for its rock formations which were formed as a result of volcanic eruptions. Here we both had our first hot air balloon ride which was spectacular! The ride took off shortly after sunrise and the view of the unique terrain of Cappadocia from up top was fantastic! If you love photography you might land up with a ton of snaps in the 1 hour that your up in the air 😉

Hot air balloon ride in Cappadocia

Our 3rd stop in Turkey was Pamukkale which is famous for its hot springs and unique rock deposits. The water and mud here have been used for therapeutic purposes since Greek times and infact the area around the site is home to the ruins of the city of Hierapolis (built by the Greeks and later taken over by the Romans). We had a nice tour of the ruins and later took a dip in the pools of Pamukkale. As you can see from the picture below, the rock deposits look like snow! Pamukkale means cotton castle in Turkish and you can see why!

Pamukkale

Our last stop in Turkey was Ephesus. Being history junkies we were in history heaven when we visited the ruins of the ancient city of Ephesus! The ancient city is so large that our guide said huge portions have yet to be excavated! The most imposing ruins in the city are that of the Celsius Library (pictured below). Being a Mediterranean town, I wasn’t surprised to see farmers markets where they were selling juicy peaches, oranges and the most fresh looking veggies I’ve ever seen!

The Celsius Library

Overall we had a fantastic time! In fact there is so much to write about I found it hard to just give you guys the highlights of my trip! I can go on and on about what all we saw, learnt and ate! 😉

Tune in later this week to see a mini beauty haul from Turkey!! I found some really interesting local brands and products while in Turkey and can’t wait to share them with you’ll 😀